What you don’t know about CLA and Guarana

While fat cells never go away, with the help of CLA and Guarana, fat cells can shrink and even disappear completely. Well, what is it? CLA is Conjugated Linoleic Acid, a omega-6 fatty acid found naturally as trace amounts in cow’s milk. CLA is found to reduce the size of fat cells, especially in the abdominal region. CLA supplementation is consistently shown to reduce the amount of fat and increase the amount of lean muscle. CLA works by decreasing the amount of ingested food that turns into body fat. Studies also show that CLA reduces the risk for cancer and atherosclerosis. However, CLA only decreases the size of fat cells, not the number. Guarana is a form of caffeine native to Brazil that works as an appetite suppressor and stimulates the migration of fat to be metabolized. While 2.5 times more potent than coffee, guarana enhances the effects of CLA and reduces the number of fat cells. With this combination, reducing the size and number of fat cells and cancer risk, is it any wonder that it is a miracle supplement?

For more information on studies or for a manufacturer, please see the Life Extension Organization at www.lef.org

-Sunina Nathoo

Back before the heavy regulation of ephedra, Xenadrine was one of the hottest weight-loss supplements on the market. Personally, I preferred Hydroxycut back in the day...now I just rely on my nutrition and exercise to get the results I want. Well, Xenadrine and some other "fat-burners" are in the spotlight again. Now the FTC has decided to crack down on the false advertising and marketing claims made by the manufacturers of these products. Some of the interesting points of this article outlining the investigation is the fact that the FTC did a study where it discovered that people on a placebo had a greater weight-loss than those on Xenadrine. Furthermore, it discovered that the customer testimonials, the before and after pictures, were really the results of strict dieting and strenuous exercise regimens...go figure. The products will continue to be sold, but who's going to buy something that has been proven to be ineffective at its primary claims?

I think that this article is amazing...I don't know how this person found the time to do this, but notheless; it's really cool. I always explain to people that calories are like currency. You want to get the most bang for your buck, and this is a great illustration of this. For 200 calories I can get a plate full of broccoli, or I can get an small pat of peanut butter. Your calories go a lot further with certain foods. The pictures are organized by caloric density, which basically draws an indirect correlation between grams and calories. It makes you think twice about using butter, canola oil, or bacon. Those foods at the top of the list have a great impact on satisfying hunger, but have a minimal impact on your waistline.

There was an article in Oxygen Magazine's Clean Eating Winter 2007 issue comparing sugar, saturated fat, and trans fat to germs. I thought it was an interesting concept. The gist of the comparison is that we spend so much time sanatizing and cleaning everything around us to avoid germs, but we don't think twice to shovel pizza, cakes, candy, sodas, and burgers into our mouths.

Foods like these really are germs for our bodies that have negative effects on the way our bodies look and function. We know that we shouldn't indulge in all these tasty foods, but we do and then after we want to take a magic pill or do a week long fad diet to reverse the effects. If it were only that simple. The magic pill is to have the knowledge to make the right decision and then CHOOSE not to put these types of foods in our bodies.

I think this article makes a great comparison, and it gave some information so that you can become more knowledgable and make better choices. Listed below is the most important information from the article so that you can identify these types of foods, know thier effects, and hopefully change the way that you view them.

Food's with Sugar:
Sugar can be found in deli meats, canned vegtables, soup, candy, desserts.
Effects:
Causes hormone related illnesses like type 2 diabetes.

Bad Fats:
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature for example butter and cheese. Trans fats help to increase the shelf life of food so think processed food.
Effects:
These fats increase the risk of heart-related diseases.

Good Fats:
Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature for example flaxseed oil, corn oil, and oil based salad dressings.
Effects:
These fats are necessary for hormone production, healthy brain function, and a host of other bodily functions.

Apply this to a Fast Food Meal
Coke: liquid sugar
Fries and Burger: These foods contain larger and more condensed amounts of fats and sugars to last an hour under the heat lamp
Ketchup: sugar
Mc'Flurry: sugar

Refrence: Sugar Lockdown. ( 2007, winter). Oxygen Magazine Clean Eating, pg. 28-31.

New York's Board of Health has banned trans fats from restaurants. This comes three years after New York banned smoking in restaurants. What are trans fats and why are they so dangerous? Trans fats are an artificial fat created by adding an additional Hydrogen molecule to liquid oils and made solid. Big deal you say. Well, trans fats lower HDL levels, the good cholesterol that actually removes cholesterol from the blood stream, and raises LDL levels, the bad cholesterol. That's a double whammy. I think that the ban in New York is a positive thing, making New York the leader in municipal health promotions.

Buffalo is a great source of lean protein, and it’s raised right here in Cincinnati. I’ve lived in Cincinnati for almost 31/2 years, and I just discovered the other day that there is a Buffalo Ranch here in the Queen City. The ranch is called the Vista Grand Ranch. They supply a number of the local groceries and specialty shops.

What are the health benefits of Buffalo?

“Discoveries made in the last ten years reveal that essential fatty acids (EFA) influence every aspect of human health, from the beating of the heart to the ability to learn and remember. There are families of EFAs - omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. New studies show that for optimum physical and mental health, a diet should contain a balanced amount of these two groups, yet the typical American diet is overloaded with omega-6 fatty acids and grossly deficient in omega-3s.This hidden imbalance makes people more vulnerable to a long list of diseases, including heart disease, cancer, obesity, inflammations, auto-immune diseases, allergies, diabetes, and depression. Careful study has shown that our ancestors ate far more greens than we do and we now know that greens are rich in omega-3s. The wild game that they hunted was also a good source of these nutrients, because the animals grazed on greens, incorporating the omega-3s into their flesh. Bison meat has significantly higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a small fraction of the fat content, and a higher level of the antioxidant Beta-carotene than that of beef. Combined with proper nutrition and exercise, eating Bison will help reduce your risk of coronary heart disease and other lifestyle related diseases. Researchers are now investigating the positive effects that Bison meat has on cancer prevention.” http://www.vistagrandranch.com/

This place even allows people to come and check out the Buffalo on specific days. Remember, don’t bring the any pets because all we need is a stampede of buffalo along I-75 during rush hour.
The next time that I’m on a precontest diet; I’m going to try to incorporate a little buffalo in my diet. I wonder is they sale whole buffalo?

Healthy Tip #2 - Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, beta-carotene, and Vitamin E. Sweet potatoes are also a complex carbohydrate, which means your body can use the energy in the sweet potato over a long period of time without needing to store it as fat.

The other great thing about sweet potatoes is that they taste great. I like to nuke mine for about 9 minutes and then mix in 1tsp of Splenda brown sugar. It's fast, and tastes great. You can also cut them into wedges, spray them with a little non-stick spray, and bake them in the oven at 450 degrees...instant sweet potato fries.